Culture Columns

Due to its sheer vastness Indonesia contains a rich variety of cultures. Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city and the center of national politics and economics, is the melting pot of many such cultures. Starting from the colonial era - when the city was known as Batavia - people came from all corners of the archipelago to this developing megacity in search of a livelihood. As a consequence Jakarta currently has a population of almost ten million people (official figure). The distance from the area of cultural origin, however, has resulted in a fading of some cultural features (especially for those families that have been living in Jakarta for multiple generations), but it has been 'enriched' by a distinct urban culture.

  • Tourism in Indonesia: Foreign Tourist Arrivals in 2015 slightly Short of Target

    Tourism in Indonesia: Foreign Tourist Arrivals slightly Short of Target

    Indonesia was visited by 6.3 million foreign tourists in the first eight months of 2015, up 2.7 percent (y/y) from the same period last year. However, foreign visitor arrivals on Bali, the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia, fell 11.3 percent (y/y) in August due to the temporary closure of Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport as Mount Raung (located in East Java) spew volcanic ash into the sky. This led to a sharp drop in Australian tourists entering Bali.

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  • Studying Abroad More Expensive for Indonesians as Rupiah Weakens

    Studying Abroad More Expensive for Indonesians as Rupiah Weakens

    Indonesia's heavily depreciated rupiah makes it more difficult for Indonesians to study abroad or to send their children to universities abroad without having the financial aid in the form of a scholarship. For those that are thinking of making such a decision, they need to take into account the performance of the Indonesian rupiah as well as the inflation outlook in the country of destination. So far in 2015, the Indonesian rupiah has depreciated 18 percent against the US dollar, 9 percent against the euro, 14 percent against China's yuan, and 2.4 percent against the Australian dollar.

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  • Exhibition Indonesian Art Group Tromarama in Stedelijk Museum

    Exhibition Indonesian Art Group Tromarama in Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

    From 12 June to 6 September 2015, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, a Dutch museum dedicated to modern and contemporary international art and design, exhibits the work of Indonesian art group Tromarama. Tromarama, formed in 2006 (in Bandung), consists of Febie Babyrose (1985), Herbert Hans (1984) and Ruddy Hatumena (1984), all graduated from the well-known Bandung Institute of Technology. Although the group experiments with different artistic approaches, animation remains their favourite means of expression.

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  • National Heroes of Indonesia: Abdul Muis; Writer, Journalist & Nationalist

    National Heroes of Indonesia: Abdul Muis; Writer, Journalist & Nationalist

    Abdul Muis (in old Indonesian spelling Abdoel Moeis), 1886-1959, was an Indonesian novelist, journalist and advocator of Indonesian independence from the Netherlands. As a novelist, Muis is most remembered for being the author of Salah Asuhan (Wrong Upbringing), a novel that is regarded as one of the great pieces of early modern Indonesian literature. As a journalist and freedom fighter, he is remembered for his blunt criticism toward the colonization of Indonesia. As a result he was arrested and spent several years in exile.

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